


Truce

by TacticalAssaultMonkey



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (Disney Movies), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24612979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TacticalAssaultMonkey/pseuds/TacticalAssaultMonkey
Summary: Disney's Tangled and Frozen meet a couple of years after Queen Anna's Coronation. Although there is a new character, this story is very Elsa & Rapunzel heavy. Whole new story line!
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

The King of Men stared evilly at his own reflection as his house-servants braided and oiled his hair. The process took half an hour due to his coarse nature— it was thick, unkempt, and charred black— so he took that time to think about who he was going to kill. 

The King was a fierce man of tradition, and a slave to his habits. If his morning or evening rituals were not observed precisely, he would lash out against whatever was nearest to his brutal fists. Most of the time, this was a nameless house-servant. 

Every morning, The King of Men woke up just before daybreak to stare at the Sun as it rose. He imagined that the Sun didn’t like to lose every day, but he wanted to begin his day as a victor. Then, he drank from the elixir that can only be sourced from his kingdom’s mysterious lands. Throughout his day, he would imbibe this elixir at least 6 more times at regular intervals. Next, he ate his breakfast and practiced his combat form. And finally, he would call his house-servants in to braid and oil his hair as he decided who was dying today. 

A stout man with a timid voice entered The King’s chambers and announced, “Lord of Lords, Breaker of Souls, King of all Men; it is my humble duty to inform His Excellence that His Excellence has received an urgent message from the most anonymous member of the Court, Sir Lyons.”

For a moment, The King of Men didn’t look away from the mirror. He wore a deep grimace. Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting for him to decide how he would respond to this news. The Crier himself, though, was calm. Long before entering The King’s chambers, he had accepted that he was likely going to die. His Lord was not merciful. 

It came as no surprise when the vicious King slowly and silently stalked toward the Crier. Once they stood toe-to-toe, The King bent his head down to the Crier’s height and stared. Is this man going to die today? 

The Crier dared not flinch or look away as he was sized up. He breathed in through his nose and smelt the most foul odor he had ever caught from another human being. He smelled like he had taken a month to fish every living creature out of the sea and another month to kill each one by hand after they had been a month dead. It was everything the Crier had to avoid coughing in The King’s face. 

But, he did not crush the Crier or decapitate him where he stood. “What’s the message?” He grumbled. 

The Crier shook with relief and let out a deep breath, “He said, ‘Arendelle’, My Lord.” 

The King of Men turned away and grabbed his favorite axe from the wall mount hanging above his bed. He felt the weight of it in his gruff hands, and thought about those who had died by it. Suddenly, The King swung the axe over his head and hurled it into the Crier’s face and throat from across the room. The body fell forward with a thud and the house-servants flitted about, trying to pretend like they didn’t see a thing. 

“Okay, Arendelle,” The King said to himself. “We leave at dawn.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Good morning!” Lilyarrow chimed, just as she did every morning. 

Elsa feigned a polite smile and muttered, “Oh! Good morning.” Her magic had kept her up all night and she felt as though there was a slight fog in the air— an unexplainable fog. The colors and clarity of the bay were just as crisp as they usually were, and there wasn’t a hint of grey clouding the atmosphere. Still, Elsa could see it. She had just been learning to trust in her instincts as the Fifth Spirit. After all, ignoring them was near impossible. 

She smiled at the memories this called up: the stupid Ice Castle, Olaf’s life, her discovery of the beauty of Ahtohallan, Anna…

Her smiled faded. Even now, after all of the time spent catching up, she still felt a small dread linger from those times that she hurt her sister. She decided that the guilt would be something she had to live with for the rest of her life. She couldn’t forget. If she did, she could end up hurting someone else. Maybe even kill them. 

She shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the strange fog. Was it the air? Or was it her? She wasn’t worried yet, though. Elsa had friends to consult when this sort of thing happens. She grew more reliant on them each day for hope, understanding, belonging, and answers. 

“Gail!” She beckoned. But even before she spoke the name, she felt the wind kick up and shift towards her. She allowed the air to flow and invade every bit of her skin; it creeped into her nose and mouth, and she drank in that inimitable body of life and scent. It filled her lungs and engulfed her mind, until she was floating inside of herself. 

It seemed to already know the question, and commuted a voiceless answer to its cousin in a way that only they could understand. “Thank you,” she whispered. With her whisper, the wind spirit took her words into its gushing flood and drifted away with them. 

She knew that Gail was going to say that. Go to Ahtohallan. The problem is that she didn’t have enough time to visit Ahtohallan before she had to leave for Anna and Kristoff’s wedding. There was no telling what answers she might find there, and there is always the chance that it could turn into a week-long excursion. Anna would be distraught if Elsa was late, or worse, didn’t show at all. So, that ride north would have to wait until after.

“Fine,” she said, resolute, before whistling and calling out, “Nokk! There you are. You’re my plus one.” 

As she rode toward Arendelle, she did her best to put the fog out of her mind. But as they grew closer and closer, Elsa could see that the fog was thickening. “Hiya,” she spurred Nokk. They gained speed and, as Nokk galloped rhythmically, Elsa’s throat closed. All around her, the air became cooler until it was neither cold nor hot, and the sound of Nokk’s running feet faded until she could hear nothing. The sky and the water blurred into nondescript masses, and everything was lifeless. There was nothing to feel or hear or touch. 

She wondered what was happening, and did her best to remember Yelena’s coaching, “Breathe deeply, my child. Open your eyes and find something beautiful to fill your mind with. If there is nothing beautiful around, make it yourself.”

Her eyes shot open. I can’t see, feel, touch, or hear? Can I still use my powers? 

Her hand shot into the air, but nothing came from it.


	3. Chapter 3

Out in the fjord overlooking Arendelle, wedding guests began to dock their ships. There was a giddy hum in the air as children played with friends they haven’t seen since Queen Anna’s Coronation, and their parents greeted the neighboring kingdoms’ royalties with curt bows and “How do you do?”’s. 

Rapunzel giggled, jumped onto her husband’s back, and covered his eyes with her small hands. “Eugene!” He let out a small grunt, a little lie to say that he was annoyed, and steadied himself before they both fell over.

“Oh, this is so exciting! Do you remember our wedding? Ugh, it feels like it was only yesterday,” she set her head dreamily upon his shoulder. 

Eugene grinned. He did remember their wedding quite well, but only the moments when she was with him. He had no memory of the day before the church doors swung open to reveal his bride, dressed in the most beautiful dress he’d ever seen. He couldn’t recall what happened when he returned to his chambers without her to change into his reception garb, but the day is clear as the sun once he returned to the party to find her waiting. She was the only memory he wanted of that day. Of any day, really. 

“Our wedding?!” He joked, “We’re married??”

Eugene and Rapunzel laughed as the strolled towards Arendelle’s gates with linked arms and eyes. As they went he soaked in the moment; nothing could be more perfect than this. He reached out and softly touched her stomach, imagining who he would meet in the coming months. She let him stay for a second longer before grabbing his hand and pulling him closer, “Come on, slow poke!”

Arendelle’s halls were adorned with the noble purple, green, pink, and black that matched their kingdom’s flag. Along the floor-to-ceiling, stained-glass windows that reached from one end of the magnificent Grand Hall to the other, there were long white tables of gifts and hors d’oerves. The guests were wearing their most expensive jewelry and gown, and the scent of vanilla perforated the castle. Rapunzel felt joy and love swell up in her heart, and couldn’t help but cry at the happiness she was seeing. 

Eugene wiped it away with a gloved hand, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” She waved his hand away and laughed, “I’m just so happy!” 

Eugene gave a crooked smile and chuckled. She was something.


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa began to panic. Not good. Shit. But there was nothing around! Although the absence of sound, color, and air was its own presence, but it was crushing her. She screamed and looked around frantically before remembering Yelena’s words.

Breathe. That would never work, it’s ridiculous. But then again, nothing else was working. She submitted, closed her eyes, and took 3 deep breaths. Nothing felt different but she felt a little more in control, so she tried again. After 3 more deep breaths, she began feeling cold again. She reveled in it, her familiar temperament. She opened her eyes and could see the color blue again, and realized that things were going back to normal. 

She paused. Then why am I not breathing anymore? 

Nokk twisted his head around. He heard Elsa’s silent summoning and figured that she had returned to consciousness. But…she was drowning? Where is she?! Nokk found her flailing deep underwater and ran to her as fast as he could. Once they broke the surface of the bay, Gail hurried over to Elsa and aided her breathing until she was fully recovered. 

This had never happened before. Gail and Nokk shared their views on the episode with Elsa, and it was apparent to them that her spirit had briefly left her physical body. “But why,” she asked them. Of course, they didn’t have the answers. Only one could.


	5. Chapter 5

The King of Men’s heart was dying. Some say that was because it was tired of living within a body that refused to hear its beating and begging, and others say that was because it was cursed after he would not have it treated by the kingdom’s Healer after he had been injured in battle. Instead, The King, who was not a king at the time, slashed the Healer’s own heart after she asked to aid him. 

But the real reason that The King of Men’s heart was dying was because of his most beloved export, the elixir called Truce. This elixir was discovered many years ago, and, indeed, The King was there to witness its birth. Its properties were something of a mystery, for no living person has ever encountered anything like it before. You see, when one drinks Truce, their vision and feeling and hearing and taste are changed. They begin hearing color, and the music is beautiful to them when they roll in a stretch of dewy grass. They imbibe true happiness, a clarity they didn’t know they were searching for their entire lives, and they surrender to it. They surrender entirely until they are no longer themselves without it, and so they set out to find more once they have sobered.

When it was called to his attention that the elixir stopped flowing from the font, The King gathered his able-bodied men to search everywhere for it. They looked on every square inch of his and his neighbor’s territory, until the search was abandoned and The King began to turn to others for answers. 

These others were all-knowing, and sought to make a deal with The King of Men. They answered when he appointed one to call out to them, and they gave them their instructions through the voice of the Court. Unfortunately, The King did not hear these directives from the mouth of these others, and did not believe in their connection to them. All he saw was what he could accept. He saw a member of his own Court making demands, speaking with holy tones, and waging a war that The King believed he would win. No peasant, no matter how noble, would tell him what to do. 

Of course, this was The King’s mindset until quite recently. A recent encounter with the unexplainable changed his mindset, and now The King of Men was much more receptive to the others’ commands. Now they were happy, and gave the King the answer to his unanswered question.

Arendelle.


	6. Chapter 6

Elsa bowed and Nokk dissolved into the water. She took one long, deep breath before turning towards the castle on a hill. Its majesty was no brighter than how she had left it to the care of her sister years ago. 

The halls were extravagantly decorated, and she blushed at the dresses she used to wear during her short reign. She palmed the softened fabrics of the light blue dress she chose for this occasion, and was comforted by its cold surface and textured embroidery. Elsa thought that this might be something beautiful to hold onto if she needed to focus during the reception, and she absent mindedly rubbed a piece of her skirt between her thumb and forefinger. 

Breathe. There’s no reason to feel nervous for this, Elsa told herself. 

But the fog was in the back of her mind, and she knew that the same thing could happen again at any moment. She heard a tinkle of ice come from her side and realized that she had accidentally frozen her dress. 

“Ugh,” she gasped. It took her a few seconds to wipe away the evidence, then she took a seat near the front of the church in a reserved spot marked with her name. 

She went back and forth deciding whether she should go find Anna before the reception started to give her an encouraging hug, or if that would just slow things down. Anna was probably excited for the wedding to begin. She settled against it, and took another deep breath.

As the piano played classical music, guests quietly mingled in the pews. Elsa overheard a couple of hushes and realized that people were probably talking about her. Most of these people hadn’t seen her since she moved out of Arendelle, but Elsa wasn’t in the mood to make small talk. She hadn’t considered what her answer would be if people asked about her powers, or the Northuldra, or whatever other rumors have been going around. 

Finally, the music shifted and the Bridal Chorus started with excitement. Elsa smiled as she watched the familiar Piano Master bounce up and down as he played; he was excited for them, too. The church doors slammed open and the groom’s party stood awkwardly waiting for their queue to begin walking down the aisle. Kristoff and Sven stood side-by-side, and they were preceded by a long line of trolls rolling ahead of them. Of course, there was about a 4-minute period in which the trolls hijacked the music and sang a song dedicated to the couple. But soon enough, Kristoff and Sven were allowed to proudly march to their places in the front of the church. Their dignified chests puffed and they landed in their spots, anxiously eyeing the arrival of the bride. 

I should have seen her off, Elsa thought, Where is she—

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone behind her grabbing her elbow. Before she could think, she sent ice flying to the ceiling. All eyes turned to her, and she felt the pressure of embarrassment closing in. Thinking quickly, Elsa transformed those ice shards into a fine powder and let them rain beautifully over the crowd. The glares softened into smiles, and even a few claps. Thankfully, the guests thought it was planned.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” a handmaiden said to her, “But the Queen is looking for you everywhere. She’s waiting for you to walk her down the aisle.”

Elsa blinked. Of course! Ugh, why didn’t I think of that? She can’t go with Mom or Dad…stupid. “Yes, of course.” Acting like a Queen was second nature to her, so she addressed the young girl as if she was her own subject, “Would you mind showing me where I can find her?”

The girl curtsied, “Right away, ma’am.” 

And before Elsa could think twice about it, she was linking her elbow under her sisters and walking down a luscious red carpet, following the adorable flower girls dripping petals all over.


	7. Chapter 7

I mean, it’s not like I can ask Dad to walk me down the aisle! What was she thinking? Ugh, one day I’m going to do this for her, and when I do I’ll make sure that I’m there to help her get the WHOLE dress on. With a net! And a girder! And the makeup! AND HER HAIR! 

Before Anna could finish her internal soliloquy, she remembered that Elsa can do her hair and makeup with magic, and sighed anxiously. 

Olaf, in his newfound sense of boundaries and space, was fighting his own temptation to ask Anna a hundred questions about the marriage. He had been dressed by the Royal Seamstress in a cozy suit with three very shiny buttons that elevated his usual coal buttons, and she gave his switch-arms a new lacquer of wood finish. But he and his best friend in the whole entire world (well, one of his best friends in the whole entire world) was still waiting in the narthex for the bridal procession to begin. 

The luxurious fabric of the wedding dress fluttered like wings as the wearer paced back and forth. Olaf could see that Anna was worried, but couldn’t imagine why! He wondered if her hesitation was due to Kristoff’s silly-looking hairstyle choice, or perhaps she paused because of the blatant display of annihilation shown over the poor flower family that was massacred, dismembered, and given to small children to scatter their remains before they’re carelessly trampled by hundreds of peoples feet between the time their thrown to the time the church hall is cleared. 

He shook away the thought, Too far, Olaf! 

“Anna?” Olaf inquired gently, “Are you ready?”

He could barely squeak out the entire question before he was flooded with everything this must mean for her. This wasn’t just asking if she was ready to walk a few feet to the front of a church— this was her new life! This was asking if she was ready to promise to HER best friend in the whole entire world to spend every special moment for the rest of her life with him. She’s preparing to become part of a union far more promising than any Olaf had ever experienced, maybe even more coveted than he ever will. She must be sooo excited! Out of her mind happy! He teared up and hoped that his little body wouldn’t flurry apart with all of the emotion he was trying to hold in. 

But Anna didn’t seem to look like he thought someone that happy would look. She paced for several minutes before Olaf decided he would ask her again, “Anna? Are you—“

“Your Majesty!” Olaf was abruptly cut off by Queen Anna’s handmaiden and friend, Emily, “It is my honor to present the Fifth Spirit of Ice, Ambassador to the Northuldra, the Queen Dowager, Elsa of Arendelle.”  
The handmaiden delivered the entire title patiently, fully aware that the sisters were not listening. They embraced and jumped at the thrill of seeing each other again. Once Emily finished speaking, Queen Anna thanked and dismissed her before speaking to Elsa.

“Elsa,” she exclaimed in an equally angry and grateful tone. “Where have you been!? I’ve been waiting for you! This is important to me.”

“We missed you, Elsa! Oh my goodness,” Olaf chimed in as he hung off Elsa’s skirt.

Elsa held both her hands and shook her head, “I know, I know. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize!”

“You would’ve known if you were here last night for the Rehearsal Dinner,” Anna smirked.

Olaf averted his eyes, “Oh, this is awkward…” Anna shook her head and silently pleaded for him to stop talking. 

“Well I’m here now,” Elsa said. “Let’s do this after you’ve had your perfect day. Okay?” 

She certainly seemed genuine, and Anna was grateful for her to be here with her. She found the Master of Ceremony’s eye and gave the signal to begin the bridal procession. When the curtains pulled back to reveal the intricately designed wedding hall, Anna’s smile widened. She was tempted to look in every direction all at once, but she found Kristoff waiting for her at the alter and was entranced. She and Elsa shared a glance, and they began their reverent march forward.


	8. Chapter 8

Rapunzel was ashamed, but she couldn’t help but laugh. What a terrible cousin she was!

“No, I’m serious!” Eugene carried on, “I mean, I wouldn’t have even been surprised if we had to leave our shoes at the door and ice skate into the pew. I trained for this wedding for three weeks!” 

He loved to make her laugh, and she was beside herself. She rolled to her side as she sat at their assigned table. She would’ve loved to taste the ornate food, but she could barely breathe without snorting. “And every time we come over here, we have to train like we’re going to the Winter Olympics!!” 

Her additions were not particularly comedic genius, but Eugene found that her humor perfectly matched his. 

“Okay,” she managed, “Okay, we need to stop. They’re going to hear us!”

He nodded and handed her a glass, “Alright, you win. Water?”

She loved that he was trying, but she also hated that he was right about her Arendellian cousins. They certainly knew how to ruin a party. It’s a terrible opinion, but Rapunzel recalled the hostile conditions of their first visit for Elsa’s Coronation. There were so many people huddled around fires, the nights were unbearably cold, and there was more than one terrifying— and totally unnatural— ice storm within a week’s time. She and Eugene nearly died. 

She also remembered the joy she felt when their ship cleared the Arendelle Fjord toward home; that feeling inspired her firm belief in the healing powers of the Sun. For as long as she could remember, Rapunzel felt like the Sun was her friend somehow. But she had no idea how truly vital the presence of the Sun was to her life until she witnessed life without it. Soon after leaving Arendelle, Rapunzel built an entire spirituality centered around the power of the Sun. 

She was proud to share a kinship with it, but whenever she meditated on her faith in the Sun she also thought about Elsa. Although she always tried to see the best in everyone, but Elsa…her life must be so…just, lifeless. 

The Sun is the ultimate fueling power of life in the entire planet. Without the Sun, plants wouldn’t grow and people wouldn’t thrive. He conducts the most important cycles for the planet’s nutrition and well-being: the clouds and water, the jet streams and atmospheric temperature, the heat and seasons, the plants that the oxygen, everything was alive and moving because of the Sun. 

But Elsa, the Fifth Spirit of Ice, had no place in the Sun. The heat is rumored to bring her health down, and her skin burns too easily to enjoy more than an hour before she develops painful rashes. And what’s more, her ice kills the foliage and puts the animals to sleep. Her power is the stopping force; the complete opposite of the Sun. 

A chorus of trumpets roused Rapunzel from her thoughts and welcomed the newly weds to their first dance. As they effortlessly twirled around the ballroom, Rapunzel scanned the party to see where the Ice Queen was hiding. She found her standing motionless in a shadowed corner, and she appeared to be speaking to someone.


End file.
